Washington, D.C. – Today, Democracy Forward, the national legal organization that has emerged as an essential player in the legal push back to extreme federal and state attacks on people and democracy, announced it is deepening its bench with the addition of seasoned litigators, public affairs, and operations professionals. The group is adding seasoned litigators, Joel McElvain, Michael Waldman, Jennifer Fountain Connolly, and Kali Schellenberg, leading public affairs executive Melissa Schwartz, and White House veteran Marcus Smith to its growing team. The new additions come amid the Trump-Vance administration’s unprecedented attacks on the nation’s civil service, the rule of law, and on communities across the country. 

“Every day, our growing and talented team at Democracy Forward is on the frontlines of opposing extremism, protecting the American people, and building a future for all. We could not be more pleased to welcome another group of incredibly talented professionals who will not only deepen our legal bench but also enhance our ability to amplify our efforts across the country and through new and innovative platforms,” said Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward. “Joel, Michael, Jennifer, Kali, Melissa and Marcus are all experienced, accomplished and exceptional professionals who will play important roles in the crucial work ahead. The strength of Democracy Forward’s work has always been its tremendous staff and the brave clients who make up the fabric of our nation we have the privilege of representing each day, and I am so excited to announce this continued growth as a sign of how the coalition of everyday Americans fighting to protect our democracy is getting stronger every day.”

Joel McElvain joins Democracy Forward as a Senior Legal Advisor after having served until January 2025 with the Office of General Counsel (OGC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. As an acting Deputy General Counsel, McElvain was responsible for legal advice on all matters involving the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, including the Medicare and Medicaid statutes and the Affordable Care Act. He also served as a Special Counsel in OGC with responsibility for coordinating legal advice concerning the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program established by the Inflation Reduction Act. McElvain previously served as a partner at King and Spalding and as an assistant director in the Federal Programs Branch of the Department of Justice. While at the Department of Justice, he participated in the government’s defense of the Affordable Care Act in National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius (2012) and King v. Burwell (2015), and received the Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Service, the Department’s highest honor. McElvain is a magna cum laude graduate of the Harvard Law School and a magna cum laude graduate of Williams College.

Michael Waldman joins Democracy Forward as the Director of Legal Partnerships and Senior Counsel. Michael most recently served as Special Counsel for Oversight and Investigations at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. In that role, he advised the Secretary on oversight matters, managed the department’s responses to congressional and agency inquiries, and oversaw compliance regarding congressional subpoenas, interviews, and hearings. Prior to his government service, he spent over two decades as a litigation partner in private practice, representing clients in high-stakes government investigations and federal court litigation at all levels, including  the U.S. Supreme Court. Waldman began his legal career clerking for the Honorable Robert Vance of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. He holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a B.A. from Harvard University. 

Jennifer Fountain Connolly joins Democracy Forward as a Senior Legal Advisor. Connolly comes to the organization with more than twenty-five years of experience leading some of the nation’s most significant complex litigation. She has served as a shareholder at Baron & Budd, PC where she represented ten states and several large municipalities in cases filed across the country in the opioid litigation. Before that, Connolly was a partner at Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP, managed its Washington DC office, and led national complex litigation including antitrust cases, pharmaceutical and consumer class actions, and qui tam lawsuits. She is a proven relationship builder, a strategic thinker, and has a long history of mentoring younger attorneys. Connolly holds a BA from the University of Chicago and a JD from the Sturm College of Law at the University of Denver. Earlier in her career, she practiced at a Denver-based litigation boutique that is now a part of Sherman & Howard and served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Business Regulation Unit of the Colorado Attorney General’s office.

Kali Schellenberg joins Democracy Forward as a Senior Counsel, having previously spent time working on pro-democracy litigation at Protect Democracy. Schellenberg  previously served as an Honors Attorney in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice and as a litigator at Relman Colfax, PLLC, where she focused on complex civil rights cases, including class actions and constitutional claims. During her career, Schellenberg has represented clients in federal jury trials and has counseled organizations on a range of legal issues. Schellenberg clerked for Judge Legrome D. Davis of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. She earned her J.D. with honors from Harvard Law School and her B.A. from Brown University.

Melissa Schwartz joins Democracy Forward as Chief Public Affairs & Policy Officer. She has spent 25 years working at the intersection of communications and public policy, with a specialization in crisis and litigation communications. She was most recently a senior official at the Department of the Interior, serving as Senior Counselor to Secretary Deb Haaland and Chief of Staff to Acting Deputy Secretary Laura Daniel-Davis while also serving for more than three years as the agency’s Communications Director. Schwartz spent nearly nine years as the Chief Operating Officer at The Bromwich Group, and managed the firm’s crisis communications practice, where clients included former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, who endured years of attacks by President Trump and his supporters. During the Obama administration, Schwartz was a senior spokesperson at the U.S. Department of Justice, and then was tapped to manage the communications and congressional affairs teams for the bureau at the Department of the Interior responsible for the regulation and oversight of offshore drilling in U.S. federal waters immediately following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. 

Marcus Smith joins Democracy Forward as a Talent Acquisition and Training Manager in its People, Culture, and Operations Division. He most recently served as Director of Personnel Operations at the White House. In this role, he managed the staffing, onboarding, and employee experience for White House staffers. Prior to the White House, Marcus was on the talent acquisition team at Morning Consult – a data intelligence tech company in Washington, DC. He has also worked as a study abroad program coordinator at American Councils for International Education. Marcus is passionate about building high-performing workforces for mission-driven organizations, and enjoys being a connector of people and opportunity. He received his B.A. in Political Science from The University of Iowa.

For more information about Democracy Forward, the organization’s current staff, and the recent additions, please visit www.democracyforward.org. 

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